l-tryptophan - anyone know it?

[irishwriter]

has anyone heard of this? is it any good? had to go of abilify because of awful side effects. am due to start it on wednesday.

[irishwriter]

i actually started ltrptophan two days ago and into day three now with no ill effects. it does seem to be helping but don't know yet if i feel a little better because i don't have to leave the house this week or next week. i can't believe i got through the week. radio shows and poetry/photo or painting comp underway and hope they go well. also got four
short plays in before deadline for Irish association of suicidology which they will use as educational dvd so that was good too. i'll wait a few days and see if improvement continues. still suicidal most of the time but no way would i go to er as they treated me like a criminial after last od.pdoc is great though and keeps me going and helpline is also good to talk me down at night when things get v. rough with urges to get it over with now instead of may.

thanks for all advice and will be on the look out for any bad side effects so that i can act immediately. pdoc is also thinking about replacement for abilify so maybe the new combo will work this time. i'll give it a try anyway.

[LeftCoastChick]

If you are planning suicide, you need immediate help, your feelings will pass, I'm a shining example of it. Life does get better though it can be rough, life isn't always easy or else we wouldn't appreciate the good times.  If you are still planning, go to your local ER immediately!

[irishwriter]

thanks for that. this is the first time really that pdoc has prescribed something for me without discussing it with me first. he knows i have plan in place for may for suicide. in the meantime i feel like i'm just putting in time until then. pdoc seems to busy to talk and tdoc is retiring so i see her for the last time after six years next monday. during the last couple of days i have been calling a help line and they have helped enormously. i still feel after last suicide try that i shouldn't be here at all and hate the facft that i am. as you know i have tried so amny different combos of meds that i am getting v. tired of trying to find the ones that work for me. i know i need the meds and am usually med compliant though med resistant but i am at the end of hope. over twenty years i have fought the good fight and i have had enough.

[ILADVOCATE]

Yes you would mind death being a side effect. If you feel that way you have suicidal ideations. You really need to speak to someone. And regardless L-Tryptophan doesn't work. I know what's in clinical study and proven to be potentially helpful and its not one of them. So if it won't do you any good and its dangerous there is no point in taking it. From what you are describing you had akathesia, "an inner feeling of restlessness" from the Abilify. That does feel horrible but if you go off the Abilify faster you will have withdrawal akathesia so it seems worse. But if it went away its not something permanent. Its not dangerous. Its a side effect of antipsychotics that some people experience. But the symptoms of the bipolar will return which is way more of concern. And you do need to take medication and if your psychiatrist determines you don't need an antipsychotic all those mood stabilizers I mentioned (that are FDA approved) don't cause this. And there are many with a favorable side effect profile that are of help as well.  

[irishwriter]

abilify caused twitching, restless leg, face doing it's own thing, tremors, heartburn, inability to think of words i needed. all stopped since i stopped it and took kamedrin for a week to get rid of symptoms. am to pick up ltryptophan tomorrow! worst of all it doesn't come under free meds so have to find money i don't have to get it. am feeling so bad at the moment just trying to stay alive minute by minute that to be honest i wouldn't mind death being a side effect.

[LeftCoastChick]

ILAD is absolutely right, don't go near L-Tryp, it's actually banned in Canada because of the deaths!!!

[ILADVOCATE]

L-trytophan is dangerous and has caused some fatalities. Please don't try it. Its not of much use either. If you want a list of all mood stabilizers even though its been posted before I'll put this link:
http://www.psycheducation.org/depression/meds/moodstabilizers.htm
There should be one that will work for you and you can tolerate. All of these options are FDA approved. You just might have to see a specialist. What do you mean by "awful side effects"? Best to describe what they are. If you were prescribed Abilify as a mood stabilizer those are some good options. Lamictal is the most tolerable out of the known options from what I've found although each person's experience is different. That lists the less commonly used options and they differ in safety and efficacy but it explains all that. Give the information to your psychiatrist. If you took Abilify as an antipsychotic and needed it for that purpose and could not tolerate all known antipsychotics I could give you some more information to give to your psychiatrist then but don't make any changes on your own or take anything without your psychiatrist's supervision and L-tryptophan has little good effects and can actually be dangerous.